


It Leads Me To You

by FireFaceOutlook



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alive Sabo (One Piece), Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Child Sabo (One Piece), Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24361369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFaceOutlook/pseuds/FireFaceOutlook
Summary: Ace was suddenly six years old again and diving into Mount Corvo’s winding river because Sabo slipped crossing it and smacked his head off a large stone, knocking him unconscious as he was dragged away by the wild rapids; except, no, he was almost twenty, and with Marco screaming and cursing above him, he remembered he was a Hammer as he hit the water and the strength was sapped from his body.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Comments: 13
Kudos: 122





	It Leads Me To You

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: I'm not too sure about the title, but I can change that at any time, so I figured it wasn't much of an excuse to procrastinate posting this. I'm super excited to share this story with everyone, but super nervous, too, because I'm not sure how this will go. I'll probably rewrite the first chapter eventually, but it gets across everything I want it to, so... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Hope you guys like it!**

_Rain pattered on the roof of the treehouse, thunder rumbling in the distance, nearly masking the words exchanged between three within the treetop confine._

_“Tell us another story, Sabo!” Luffy begged._

_“I want a turn,” Ace protested, and Luffy spit his tongue out in distaste, which caused the older boy to tackle him to the floor._

_Sabo rolled his eyes, leaning forward and tugging at his brothers’ arms until they fell apart again. “One more story,” he compromised, “then it’s Ace’s turn.”_

_“But Ace’s stories suck,” Luffy muttered, earning a growl from the freckled boy, but they both settled in for another of Sabo’s stories._

_Sabo loved stormy nights the most. Well, when he was with Luffy and Ace, anyway, sequestered in the home away from “home” that they built together. It was leaky and creaky and cold, but Sabo always felt warm in a way he never had in the Goa Kingdom or even in Grey Terminal. Though, he had to admit that the inhabitants of Grey Terminal had the best tales to share._

_“According to the people in Grey Terminal, there’s a gateway to another time - another world - that mirrors this one, but gives you a chance at a different fate.”_

_“Like - what? Being born as a girl or a fish?” Ace scoffed._

_“Ooh! Or like being raised by pirates!” Luffy shouted._

_Sabo laughed. “Something like that, I guess. However, it’s located somewhere in the ocean of East Blue, and never stays in one place, so it was a death sentence to those foolish enough to go searching for it. It chooses who it takes, as untamed as the sea.”_

_“Alright, enough,” Ace interrupted. “Even if something like that existed - which it_ doesn’t _-” He pointedly glares at the visibly awestruck Luffy. “-, we wouldn’t need it anyway. Because we already know what our fates are gonna be.” He grinned boldly. “We’re going to be pirates! I’m going to make my name known to the world, as_ myself _!”_

_“I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!” Luffy howled._

_“I’m going to be_ free _,” Sabo vowed._

____

__

__

_The trio connected their fists in a mimic of their vow of brotherhood with an unquenchable cry of excitement._

__

The memory dissipated with the cloud of bubbles pulled from Sabo’s lungs, making way for water to begin filling them, eyes rolling into the back of his head as salt dug into his wounds. Sabo had always found the story endlessly fascinating; before he’d met Ace, he would sit at the edge of the dump and stare out at the ocean, as if he could spot the mythical gateway if he looked hard enough. Meeting Ace and Luffy - swearing brotherhood and claiming his true family - was enough to make him all but forget about it. But now, with the sea current dragging him and the smoldering wreckage of his ship and dreams into its cold, unforgiving embrace, he couldn’t help but recall the stories with a desperate fervor.

__

_Please,_ he thought as his consciousness began to vacate him. _Please, help me. Somebody…_ As he succumbed to the dark, he was left unaware as light began bleeding from an unfathomable source beneath his sinking form, consuming his frail body and leaving nothing in its wake.

__

  


__

Ace stood at the railing of the Moby Dick, looking up at the night sky. The party celebrating his promotion to Second Division Commander was only just dying down and while sleep was beckoning him, stargazing had become something of a ritual. When he felt the doubts and anxiety creeping in, it was like a balm in his mind, calming him. It reminded him of the nights spent in the forests of Mount Corvo with his brothers by his side, peering through the holes in the ceiling of their treehouse.

__

“Ace.”

__

He started and glanced over his shoulder, finding Marco watching him. The fond expression on the first mate’s face was a familiar one - he cast it towards all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, and it made Ace feel a little more like a real part of their family whenever he saw it.

__

“It’s getting late, yoi. I know we’re all celebrating, but don’t stay up too much longer; we’ll be making landfall by tomorrow, if the weather holds out, and your division is taking part in helping restock the ship. You’re going to be in charge of keeping a lot of people on task; you won’t be able to just run around and get into trouble like you want to.”

__

“I know,” Ace assured him, smiling and feeling embarrassed at the broad grin that he got in return. It was the same response he got from everyone when he smiled, but he couldn’t fault them when he knew he’d been so visibly unhappy up until he finally accepted Whitebeard’s invitation to the crew. “Just a few more minutes, and I’ll…”

__

Ace trailed off when he heard the ocean churning behind him. Marco’s expression twisted in confusion, indicating he heard it as well, and Ace turned around. The water was frothing violently, and accompanying the flurry of bubbles was… wood? Broken and charred planks appeared one by one.

__

“What the Hell…?” Marco whispered from his new position next to Ace, brows furrowed.

__

The both of them jolted when a small, pale hand broke the surface, clawing at the nearest piece of debris, barely managing to pull the body attached to it above the water. Ace’s heart stopped because right there, below him, was an exact replica of Sabo as he remembered him before he left, minus the raw pink burn marring almost half of his face. The ghost - for what else could it be - choked, sea water spilling from his lips alongside gargled words that sounded almost like a plea before his strength gave out and he sunk as abruptly as he’d appeared.

__

Ace was suddenly six years old again and diving into Mount Corvo’s winding river because Sabo slipped crossing it and smacked his head off a large stone, knocking him unconscious as he was dragged away by the wild rapids; except, no, he was almost twenty, and with Marco screaming and cursing above him, he remembered he was a Hammer as he hit the water and the strength was sapped from his body. He couldn’t bring himself to care about anything but Sabo, who was drifting further away as he sank deeper, and he reached a heavy hand out towards the small body as his consciousness waned.

__

He was brought back suddenly as he was tossed onto the deck, coughing and sputtering on his knees as what felt like an entire lake emerged from his lungs, a hand pounding his back in a punishing manner. He wheezed, his mind trying to gather itself, and he looked up in time to see Namur deposited back on deck by a stream of water, a small, pale bundle in his arms, and Ace’s memories decked him in the gut, knocking away his freshly regained air. Marco was shouting orders, and as he and Namur disappeared into the infirmary, a blanket was draped around Ace’s shoulders. Thatch and Izou kneeled on either side of him, concern painted plainly across their face. It was only then that Ace realized that his chest still hurt like he couldn’t breathe and that was because he was sobbing. He covered his face and curled over his knees, weeping silently as his brothers stood vigil.

__

**Author's Note:**

> **I've never written anything involving the Whitebeard Pirates as a whole (mostly just Marco and Ace), so I'd love to hear yours guys' thoughts and even ideas towards this story.**


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